About half of the world’s episcopal conferences have implemented guidelines for handling sex-abuse cases, according to a Vatican official.
Monsignor Charles Scicluna said bishops’ conferences in Africa have lagged behind — because they face other urgent problems — but guidelines have been submitted to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from most other parts of the world.
The Vatican had asked for guidelines on preventing sex abuse and the handling of complaints, to ensure compliance with canon law and local laws in different countries.
“The number of responses received from the Anglo-Saxon world is encouraging, but a high number of responses were also noted from Europe, Asia and Latin America,” Monsignor Scicluna told the monthly magazine Jesus.
He said it will take at least a year to evaluate all texts submitted by episcopal conferences and offer suggestions for points that need to be added or revisions that need to be made.
“Regarding bishops’ conferences’ relations with state authorities, if the former refers to state law exclusively in relation to the safeguarding of the Church’s autonomy, a detailed description of how the crime of sexual abuse is interpreted by the law of the state in question will need to be provided.
“The guidelines will also need to specify, in full adherence to state law, that the Church strives to never try to dissuade victims from their right to report a crime to the state. It is good to make this commitment explicit in order to have a more complete and just framework,” said Monsignor Scicluna.
He added: “People need pastors to be vigilant; this is a battle against sin and against crime. And we cannot be defeated in this battle: the innocence of our children and young people is too precious a treasure for the Church.”
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